2018 will be fourth hottest on record according to UN climate report

World Today

2018 will be fourth hottest on record according to UN climate report

Several reports on the impact of climate change are out, and the forecasts are dire.

Experts say catastrophic climate change is in the future, and the global effort to tackle it – is way off track.


CGTN’s Jim Spellman reports.

According to a new U.N. report, 2018 will be the 4th hottest year on record. The report by the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization predicts the world will experience more deadly fires, more flooding and more storms as a result of global climate change. Left unchecked this will lead to massive socio-economic impacts leading to widespread population displacement and food insecurity.

“2016 was the warmest year on record and 2017 was the second warmest on record and 2015 was number three and this year is number four. And there’s an expectation that next year we could see again El Nino which may mean that next year is likely to be warmer than this year has been,” said  Petteri Taalas,  World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General.

READ THE UN HERE: 

https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/climate-change-signals-and-impacts-continue2018

The U.N. findings come less than a week after a Trump administration report warning of dire consequences from man-made climate change – consequences that could shrink the U.S. economy up to 10 percent by the end of the century. President Trump has cast doubt on the report.

“I don’t believe it. No, I don’t believe it,” U.S. President Trump said when asked by reporters about the U.S. report.

President Trump has incorrectly pointed to periods of cold weather as evidence global warming is not real. Researchers say that’s simply bad science-  that long-term climate trends, not short term weather, that must be observed to understand the impact humans are having on the environment.

TRUMP TWEET https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1065400254151954432

In 2017, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement that aims to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Next week, the remaining countries in the agreement will meet in Poland to discuss implementing the agreement.

“It will be a key moment for tackling global climate change. We hope the summit will move ahead on the detailed discussions from the Paris agreement, properly handle financial matters, send positive signals for fully implementing the Paris agreement, push forward the green and low-carbon transformation, and build a community with a shared future,” said Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Issues

Scientists warn there is no time to waste.

“We know scientifically that we have to bend the global curve of emissions no later than 2020…so, 2018 and 2019 are decisive years for all countries in the world to revise their plans, and really start implementing de-carbonization policies and pathways,” said Johan Rockstrom Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.